Mexico’s troubles earn a blunt condemnation

A Supreme Court judge offered a blunt assessment of the woes afflicting Mexico during an address in Guadalajara yesterday, citing bad education, the poor design of political institutions and “shocking corruption” as problems that continue to plague the country.

Luis María Aguilar Morales, who is currently serving as president of both the Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary Council (CJF), made the observations at an event celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of noted jurist Mariano Otero Mestas.

Judges, he said, must also take responsibility for the situation in Mexico.

Aguilar pointed to “the extreme poverty that many of our compatriots find themselves in,” as another particularly troubling and “doubly painful” issue.

He also cited “the lack of opportunity for generations of young people who neither study nor work, the lack of decent working conditions and the discrimination that women still suffer” as further areas of deep concern that are holding Mexico back.

The nation’s indigenous population, people with disabilities and sexual minorities are also marginalized and discriminated against, he said.

Aguilar went on to take aim at governance practices, arguing that authorities need to be prevented from “exercising their power in a way that is despotic, capricious [and] without any limits, brakes, counterweights or accountability.”

“Hence the importance of the work that judges in all the different jurisdictional authorities in the country carry out to comply with and enforce the law,” he added.

Collective action is required to confront the problems, Aguilar continued, adding that political differences, diversity of opinions and social class shouldn’t be allowed to interfere.

The judge argued that only unity, as espoused by the jurist Otero, would enable Mexico to successfully overcome the challenges that it faces.

“That’s how we did it in the past [when] confronted by enemies who threatened national sovereignty. That’s what we demonstrated in recent days when we were hit by [the force of] nature and the people of Mexico, once again, responded generously through solidarity and unity,” he said.